The Chinese capital, which hosted the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will become the first city in the Pacific-Asia zone to have hosted the competition and, although it has yet to confirm the venue, the dates for the event were announced as March 29 to April 6 next year.

"The award of the 2014 World Men's Championship to Beijing is a major landmark in the development of curling," said WCF President Kate Caithness, following a signing ceremony at the governing body's secretariat in Perth, Scotland, today.

"It will be the first time that a World Men's Curling Championship will be staged in the Pacific-Asia zone.

"In the last decade we have witnessed a surge in growth of curling in the region.

"Following on from the World Women's Curling Championships in Japan in 2007 and [South] Korea in 2009, China will now host the top 12 men's teams in the world and we look forward to working with our partners and sponsors to stage a first class show for the world to enjoy."

Ni Huizhong, President of the Chinese Curling Association, added: "The Chinese Curling Association would like to thank the World Curling Federation for putting their trust in us and our partners to host the 2014 World Men's Curling Championship.

"Curling is a sport that is growing incredibly fast not only throughout China but also throughout the rest of the Pacific-Asia region.

"We hope that this event, being staged just after the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, will help continue to inspire the next generation of curlers throughout the world.

"We would like to invite everyone to China in 2014 and the city of Beijing to be part of this incredible experience."


The day also marked the signing of a deal that confirmed Titlis Glacier Mountain as the title sponsor of the Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women's Curling Championship 2013, in Riga, Latvia.

They have also confirmed they will be a main sponsor, along with the City of Lucerne, of the 2014 men's event.

On agreeing these sponsorship deals, Norbert Patt, chief executive of Titlis Cableways, Hotels and Restaurants, said: "Our previous sponsorships of the World Women's Curling Championship in 2009 and 2011 resulted in increasing awareness for the Titlis Glacier Mountain tourist destination.

"So it was a logical step to extend the partnership with the WCF, especially for the 2014 event in Beijing, China, which is very important for us.

"Titlis Glacier Mountain and the city of Lucerne are the top two destinations for Asian tourists visiting Switzerland."

The 2013 World Men's Curling Championship is due to take place from March 30 to April 7 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria British Columbia, Canada, while the 2013 and 2014 World Women's Curling Championships will take place at the Volvo Sports Centre in Riga, Latvia, and Saint John, New Brunswick in Canada respectively.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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